


80s Wayhaught

by taterhaught1985



Category: Wynonna Earp (TV)
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-08-28
Packaged: 2020-07-11 18:49:22
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,154
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19932820
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/taterhaught1985/pseuds/taterhaught1985
Summary: Based on the Wayhaught 80s Mixtape series, I decided to write my own little 80s au.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [it's like i wrote every note with my own fingers](https://archiveofourown.org/works/11948871) by [gilligankane](https://archiveofourown.org/users/gilligankane/pseuds/gilligankane). 



**CHAPTER 1**

Nicole Haught grimaced at the reflection staring back at her. Her jacket askew, the cuffs of her jeans weren’t rolled properly, and that one damn piece of hair won’t stay behind her ears. It was the first day of her senior year. This was her year, she told herself. Her year to finally be herself. She had come out to Wynonna over the summer and since then, she had finally discovered the person she was rather than the person that she had grown accustomed to over the years. It was liberating. She sighed, giving herself one last look over before grabbing her keys.

The drive to the school didn’t take long. Wynonna was waiting for her by her usual park. Waverly standing beside her. Nicole felt the breath hitch in her throat at the sight of Waverly’s faded denim jacket. The sleeves were rolled up, revealing a collection of woven bracelets on her wrist.

Wynonna slapped the hood as Nicole rolled to a stop. She winced, imagining the chipped paint flying off with each touch.

Waverly’s already present smile broadened when she stepped out of the car.

“What took you so long?” Wynonna demanded.

Nicole checked her watch; she was only two past the time she had promised to get there. She only rolled her eyes and headed towards to auditorium building for their First Day as Seniors speech. Waverly bid them farewell at the door and ran off to find her one of her other Freshman classmates. Nicole couldn’t help but stare after her as she hurried away; her jacket lifting up with each step.

The speech didn’t last long; just a brief talk on how they’re the new role models for the younger grades, everything this year counts and most importantly ‘Go Devils!’. Nicole rolled her eyes at the familiar cheer. It never ceased to amaze her how something so mundane as a football team could mean so much to a school. Though, she had to admit, it did come with some perks – especially one with two pom poms.

They met up with Mercedes after the speech. Her and Wynonna chatting about nothing in particular on the way to their first class with Nicole walking slightly behind them. It wasn’t uncommon for her to trail behind, lost in thought. Today, a particular cheerleader took up the majority of room in Nicole’s crowded mind.

It seemed to have only gotten worse over summer. Spending nearly every day at the Homestead with Wynonna and Mercedes, catching glimpses of Waverly every now and again didn’t help.

She had known the sisters for a few years now. She still remembers walking into Purgatory Middle School on her first day of eighth grade, not knowing a soul, and ballsy Wynonna Earp walking right up to her, reading the name on folder and calling her ‘Tater-Haught’. They’d immediately become friends. When she met Waverly for the first time that afternoon, she couldn’t believe that someone as hard edged as Wynonna could be related to someone so pure and angelic. With that very first look, Nicole knew she was in trouble. Pretty soon, Waverly had become fairly close to her. Though she was always just Wynonna’s younger sister.

Nicole had spent countless nights pondering over Waverly’s friendly disposition that sometimes seemed a little too friendly. Like the occasional lingering look that Waverly would shoot her at lunchtimes. Or the sliding fingers against her arm that would last a little longer than usual. It was enough to keep her second guessing everything she knew about Waverly Earp.

When Nicole came home after a three-week vacation at the end of her sophomore year to find that Waverly had begun dating the football douche Champ Hardy, her heart nearly broke in two. It wasn’t like she expected anything to happen between her and Waverly, but it was hard for her to accept that those slightly flirtatious moments were all for nothing.

One year later and Waverly and Champ were still together. It pained Nicole to hear about all the antics of Champ whenever Waverly would come by during her shift at the diner. Nicole, and everyone else around her, could see how much of a terrible boyfriend he was to Waverly. When it was brought up, she would only sigh and say something about him trying. Nicole wasn’t sure how many times she had looked into those hazel eyes, begging Waverly to see how much better she could treat her. Yet every time, she would merely smile, place a hand on Waverly’s shoulder and tell her to be careful.

-

\--

“You going to eat those?”

It was lunchtime. Nicole was seated at their usual table closest to the door to the track field with Wynonna and Mercedes. Wynonna had spent the first half hour talking about the older guy she met at Shorty’s over the summer with his daggy moustache and tacky hat. Mercedes had been pressing her for details while Nicole sat back and offered a hum of approval whenever was necessary; they both knew guy talk wasn’t really her thing.

“Nicole?” Wynonna said, pointing at the unopened packet in front of Nicole. “The twinkies?”

“Oh right. No, take them.” She threw the packet across the table into Wynonna’s outstretched hand.

“So yeah, he took me home in his Camaro but not before spending some time in the backseat if you know what I mean.” She wiggled her eyes, grinning at Mercedes. “What about you, Haught? Any news in the love life department?”

Nicole sighed, instantly thoughts of Waverly popping into her head. “Unfortunately, not. As I’m sure you’re aware, it is a tad more difficult for me to find someone who shares my specific taste.”

Mercedes rolled her eyes. “Come on, you’ve just got to put yourself out there. I’m sure there’d be plenty of girls lining up for you if you open up just a bit.”

Nicole sighed again, playing with the ends of her hair. The girls didn’t speak, sensing Nicole’s discomfort. Instead, Wynonna clapped her hands cheerfully.

“Okay,” she began. “Let’s go out tonight. It’s a Friday, we’ve had a long hard week, we deserve it.”

Nicole looked up. “I’m working.”

“That’s fine,” Wynonna waved a hand. “We’ll come by before your shift ends and take you back to mine to get ready. It’ll be sweet.”

-

Nicole wiped the bench over one last time, glancing at the clock. It had just gone eight; only another half hour till closing time. It had been a busy one. Friday nights always were. She wasn’t sure where Wynonna was taking them tonight. She wasn’t worried; Wynonna was always able to find the address of whatever parties were on around town – no matter whose they were.

With a dingle of the overhead doorbell, Wynonna and Mercedes made their way into the diner, immediately breaking the silence of the late-night customers. Nicole rolled her eyes behind the bar.

“Perry Crofte,” Wynonna announced once she and Mercedes were seated on the bar stools. “He’s having a party tonight.”

“Perry Crofte?” Nicole frowned. “As in the Perry Crofte from middle school? God, I haven’t seen him in years. I thought he moved towns?”

“He did. He’s come home for the weekend to visit family. Well technically it’s his cousin’s party but he will be there so it counts.”

“And how did you find all this out?”

Wynonna winked, “I have my ways.”

They were in Wynonna’s room, going over the outfit options for the countless time that night. Nicole sat back, bored, on Wynonna’s bed. She had gotten fully dressed and ready over an hour ago and she was getting tired of her two friends’ antics.

“Like, I like this dress,” Mercedes’ all too familiar whiny voice sounded. “But does it make my boobs look big?”

Nicole rolled her eyes and Wynonna turned around to intently study Mercedes chest area. “Hm, maybe try the green top.”

Half an hour later, they finally walked down the porch steps to Nicole’s Plymouth. Before they could make it down the steps, Waverly’s voice called out from behind the screen door.

“Where are you going?” Her arms were crossed, a frown pinched in her brow.

Wynonna groaned. “Waverly, if you’re going to rat us out you might as well go back inside so we can have a head start.”

She rolled her eyes. “I’m not going to tell Gus. I want to come with. It’s a party you’re going to, right?”

“Yeah, but you aren’t coming.”

Waverly huffed. “Come on. You’re always saying I need to experience high school things. Aren’t parties on the top of that list?”

“Well yeah but –”

“And you went to hundreds of parties at my age.”

Wynonna’s mouth opened as if to reply then shut it abruptly. “Well…whatever. You’re still not coming.”

Waverly’s bottom lip jutted out so far that Nicole almost pushed past Wynonna to drag Waverly to the car herself.

Wynonna turned on her heel and stormed down to the car, followed by Mercedes and a hesitant Nicole. She offered Waverly a sympathetic smile before sliding into the drivers seat. Waverly raised a hand in a small wave as they drove off.

“So where are we going?” Nicole asked once the homestead was out of sight. Wynonna shouted directions from the back seat until they pulled up in front of a large house with an array of cars parked out the front. With the flashing lights and blasting music it looked just like every other party Wynonna had roped them into. 

The door was open when they reached the porch. Nicole could see the silhouettes of dancing partygoers through the entryway. She could hear pumping music that she couldn’t quite make out the lyrics and excited shouts and laughter.

Before they could make it through the door, a group of guys she didn’t recognise pushed past them, rolling a large keg.

Yep, Nicole told herself internally. Definitely like every other party.

“So, does Perry know we’re coming?”

Wynonna only winked and hopped into the house. Mercedes grabbed Nicole’s hand and followed suit. As usual, they made their way into the kitchen to find Wynonna already pouring them drinks. She handed them out, Nicole taking a large swig before placing the cup back on the table.

“Wynonna Earp,” said a voice from the hallway. “I haven’t seen you in a long time.”

The girls turned to see Perry Crofte, much older than the last time they had seen him, but his notoriously charming smile was hard to forget.

“Perry Crofte. Heard you were in town.”

“Clearly.”

She smiled sheepishly. Perry noticed the other two.

“Nicole,” he said with a nod and a smile. “Mercedes. Good to see you.”

Nicole noticed Mercedes fidgeting with her top, pursing her lips as she tried to push her breasts up.

Perry’s eyes flickered slightly before turning back to Wynonna. “Well, um, yeah, enjoy the party.”

He left, shortly replaced by a man that Nicole thought could only be the infamous Doc Holliday that Wynonna wouldn’t stop going on about.

“You came.”

Doc tipped his hat, grinning through his moustache. Nicole took that as a sign to leave. She filled up the rest of her cup and left the kitchen. The hallway was crowded with people she didn’t know. She kept her eyes straight forward, pushing past with her shoulders. At the end of the hallway was a staircase leading to the basement. The downstairs light wasn’t on and a sign proclaiming ‘Please Stay Upstairs’ hung limply from the wall. She stood on the first step, rocking back to forth on her heels, contemplating whether to break the rule to get away from the party buzz. Before she had made any kind of decision, a warm hand tugged on her arm, pulling her down the to the next step. Her knees locked and she remained stuck on that step, despite the smaller person’s tugs. Waverly turned around, letting go of Nicole’s arm.

“ _Waverly_ ,” she hissed. “You’re supposed to stay home.”

“Yeah, yeah, I followed you.” Her voice was a whisper. “But I didn’t realise Champ was here.”

“Champ your boyfriend Champ? Why are you avoiding him?”

She sighed, pausing. She was still standing a few steps down so Nicole was well and truly looking down on her. “I don’t know,” she said finally.

Nicole couldn’t supress the surge of hope that soared through her.

“I just,” Waverly said. “I don’t feel like seeing him right now.”

Nicole swallowed. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Waverly stared at her for a second before turning and hurrying down the stairs. Nicole didn’t even hesitate to follow her down. She found Waverly seated on the bottom step, leaning against the bannister. Nicole sat down beside her, making sure to keep a space between the two.

“So,” Nicole attempted a soothing voice. “What’s going on?”

Waverly fiddled with her hands, making a clicking noise with her tongue. “Well, he’s sweet…enough. He really likes me. He’s…well…” She paused with a small laugh. “He’s sweet. But…”

“But?”

“He’s immature. He doesn’t have any goals that don’t consist of hockey. He won’t listen to me when I tell him he needs to pick up his grades. All he does is party and make dick jokes.”

Nicole hid a laugh. “Damn, you really are mature for your age. Most other Sophomore girls would kill for a guy like that.”

Waverly said nothing. Before she could stop herself, she put an arm over Waverly’s shoulder.

“Hey,” she cooed. “It’s okay to feel like this. It’s okay to have doubts. No relationship is perfect. You can talk to him, get through this.”

“But that’s the thing,” her voice became shrill. “I have spoken to him. Time and time again. But he just won’t listen.”

“Well, do you love him?”

Waverly’s pause said it all. Nicole felt a smile tug at her lips.

“I don’t know if I ever did. How do you know if you love someone?” 

“You would know if you did.”

“How do you know? Have you ever loved someone?”

Nicole’s smile flickered, breaking their eye contact. “Something like that.” 

No one said anything for a bit. Nicole shifted awkwardly, realising her arm was still over Waverly’s shoulder. She coughed, placing it back at her side.

“I have to break up with him,” Waverly said after a minute. 

“What makes you happy is all that matters.”

“Well, do you think I should?” 

“Look, nothing I say should sway your decision. This is entirely up to you and how you feel. I would never want to tell you to do something you don’t want to do. But I will say that I don’t think the likes of Champ Hardy would ever be good enough for you.”

Waverly looked up at Nicole, a glint in her eye. She frowned before smiling slightly and leant into Nicole’s side. Nicole’s eyes widened, her hand hovering above Waverly before wrapping it around the younger girl.

“Thank you,” Waverly muttered into Nicole’s side.

Nicole said nothing, not wanting to ruin this moment. Instead, she squeezed Waverly’s shoulder a little harder and rested her head atop Waverly’s.

They stayed there for several minutes, Nicole dreading the inevitable time they would have to head back upstairs.

Waverly sniffed, lifting her head up and wiping away a single tear.

“You okay?” Nicole’s other hand half rose before she managed to stop herself from putting Waverly’s hair behind her ear. Her hand hung absently in mid air then came crashing back down by her side.

Waverly nodded, smiling.

There was a crash from upstairs and the unmistakable sound of Wynonna yelling.

“We should probably go see to that,” Waverly said, finally standing from their spot on the step. Her hand found Nicole’s, pulling her up. Nicole tried not to think about the sudden sweat building on her palms.

The living room was a disaster. Broken beer bottles lay strewn over the carpet along with something that looked like crunched up potato chips. There was a mass of bodies in the middle of the dance floor, writhing around in a cloud of drunken slurs. Pete York’s head popped up, blood streaking from his bottom lip. A hand appeared from the mass and clocked him in the chin, causing him to fall back down.

All at once, Wynonna pushed through the bodies, leaving them groaning on the floor. She smirked, clapping her hands together. “Who’s next?” She looked around the room, grinning at the fearful look on the remaining partygoer’s faces. She took a swig of a nearby bottle as a very intoxicated Champ Hardy stumbled into the room.

“Me,” he said with an almost evil grin. He tried to place his bottle down on a shelf though missing it entirely so it slipped and smashed on the floor. He wiped away a smear of drool on his chin with his knuckle.

Wynonna only laughed. “Bring it on, Chump.”

Waverly twitched beside Nicole. She tried to reach a hand out to stop her, but Waverly had already hurried towards her boyfriend.

“Champ, stop. You’re dunk, let me take you home.”

“Waverly?” He said, squinting. “What’re you doin’ here?”

“Let me take you home, Champ.”

He looked back to Wynonna, who was glaring at her sister. The smirk slithered back onto his face. “She’s asking for it.”

“Go home, Waverly,” Wynonna hissed. “I told you to stay home.”

Waverly ignored her, tugging on Champ’s arm, trying to pull him down the hall. He didn’t move an inch, still grinning at Wynonna. “Come on, babe. Let me at her.”

Wynonna’s eyes flickered back to Champs, cracking her knuckles out in front of her. “Come on, big guy. Show me what you’ve got.”

Champ took an unsteady step forward, pulling Waverly along with him.

“Champ –”

“Let go of me, Waverly. It’s my turn.” He shook his arm, throwing Waverly off him. Nicole rushed forward as she stumbled a few steps backwards. Champ took no notice, still staring at Wynonna, raising his fists.

Wynonna laughed, raising her own.

“Wynonna, stop,” Waverly pleaded. “He’ll hurt you.”

There was a silence; someone had shut off the music. Wynonna and Champ shooting daggers at each other while everyone remained rooted to the spot, staring anxiously at the two.

Champ took another step forward, followed quickly by Waverly who attempted again to grab at his arm. He brushed her off, a little more forcefully this time, causing her to fall back against the bookshelf. Nicole hurried to her side, helping her up. Champ didn’t even turn around. Waverly stood, rubbing her wrist.

“Champ,” she called out. “If you don’t turn around now, we’re done.”

There was a chorus of ‘oohs’ around the room, everyone staring at Champ. He stopped, still staring at Wynonna.

“She’s had this coming for her judgy ass a long time.”

Waverly sighed and looked up at Nicole. “Can you take me home please?”

“Of course,” Nicole said without even thinking. She fished for the keys in her jacket pocket and lead Waverly out the front door.

“I can’t believe he didn’t listen to me,” she said once they were in the car.

“Can’t you?”

Waverly said nothing.

“I’m sorry,” Nicole began. “I know you cared about him.”

She shrugged. “It’s okay. It feels good to be rid of him.”

Nicole fought the urge to reach over and place a comforting hand on Waverly’s thigh.

“We weren’t right for each other,” she continued. “It’s for the best.”

Nicole nodded, pulling into the Homestead drive. She put the car in park, but Waverly remained seated.

“Thank you,” she said again. She was staring out the front window, playing with the buttons of her denim jacket. The moon shining through the window gave Waverly an almost glowing appearance that left Nicole breathless.

She swallowed, trying to find the words to say. She wasn’t sure how long they stayed there for; Nicole staring at Waverly while Waverly stared out the windscreen. It wasn’t until the porch light switched on when they broke out of their trance like state.

Nicole coughed, scratching her jaw. Waverly laughed awkwardly. “I’d better get inside. Gus would be waiting up.”

“Yeah. I’ll um, I’ll walk you up.”

Waverly smiled, slipping out the door.

“Thanks again,” Waverly said once they were on the porch. “For driving me home and for –”

Nicole raised an eyebrow.

“Um, never mind.”

Nicole’s gaze flickered from Waverly’s eyes to her lips. Waverly shivered, turning away from Nicole and wrapping her arms around her front.

“Alright then,” Nicole took a step back, eyes fixated on the wood panels. “Goodnight, Waverly. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Goodnight.”

Nicole treaded down path, not looking back until she reached the car. Waverly was still standing on the porch, watching her. She gave a small wave then slipped through the front door, switching off the porch light as she went.

Nicole sighed, resting her forehead against the steering wheel. She couldn’t believe how close she was to kissing her right then and there. She had been doing so well at keeping her feelings and intentions completely internal. The feelings she had for Waverly were getting stronger, she knew, but there had never been a moment where so was so close to acting on them.

She groaned, remembering the instant awkward air between them and Waverly turning away. _She knew,_ Nicole panicked. _She knew and she hated her for it._ How was Nicole supposed to face her tomorrow at the Homestead. Nicole was supposed to meet Wynonna there before Doc would pick them up and take them to Shorty’s. Apparently, he had something special for Wynonna; Nicole was just tagging along for moral support.

She hit her hand on the wheel in frustration before turning the ignition key and backing out of the driveway.

She swore at herself the whole way back to the party. Although she was sure Wynonna would be going home with Doc, she was sure Mercedes would be pissed if Nicole didn’t return to take her home.

Nicole idled on the curb a few yards down, watching number of drunk teenagers spill out onto the road. It was nearing one in the morning; she was sure Mercedes would be among them. Sure enough, there was a tap on the window and a bright bob of red hair slithered into the passenger seat.

“Where’d you go?”

Nicole took off, careful to weave around the mass of people.

“I took Waverly home after . . . you know.”

“Ah, right. I gotta say though, I’m glad she got rid of that man baby,” she glanced sideways at Nicole. “She can do so much better.” 

Nicole inwardly agreed.

“How was she? After all that?”

Nicole clicked her tongue. “She was okay, actually. I think she knew she had to do it.”

Mercedes hummed in agreement.

They had pulled into the drive of the Gardner’s mansion by then. Mercedes thanked Nicole once more and hopped out of the car. Just before Nicole put the car in reverse, she noticed someone looking out at her in one of the top floor windows. She groaned, rolling her eyes. Tucker Gardner. The school creep and borderline psycho. It was common knowledge that Tucker had a weird obsession with Waverly. Ever since she had offered to be his Freshman buddy last year. Nicole lost count the amount of times she had to tell him to back off in the hall after he had spent all of lunch following her around.

She clenched her jaw and finally drove off.

-

It was the next day. They were seated on the sofa. Wynonna stretched back, her feet up on the coffee table. Nicole sat close to the middle, her arms in her lap, still awkward from the events of the night before. They were watching old episodes of the Brady Bunch, killing time before they were to meet up with Doc at Shorty’s.

Wynonna wasn’t watching; she had the newest Rolling Stone magazine laid out on her lip, absently flipping through the pages.

“It’s okay to be nervous,” Nicole started.

Wynonna’s eyes snapped up, immediately glowering. “What? I’m not nervous. Have you met me? I don’t get nervous. I’m not nervous”

“I know that. It’s just, I know how you feel about him.”

Wynonna said nothing, closing the magazine and tossing it onto the table; an upside-down Bruce Springsteen staring up at them.

There was a clatter of the fry screen door flying open and the usual chipper voice of Waverly Earp sprung into the room.

“Ooh, The Brady Bunch! Which episode’s this?”

Wynonna rolled her eyes, returning to the magazine. Waverly plonked herself down between Nicole and the edge of the couch. Nicole’s heartbeat froze at the sight of Waverly’s fingertips brushing against Nicole’s thigh as she did so. She was about to move over when she realised that Wynonna had kicked up both her feet, making even less room than there was before. She swallowed. They were seated thigh to thigh, making it incredibly difficult to concentrate on anything else but Waverly’s bare skin against hers.

Laughter called out from the TV, causing Waverly’s hand to come back down on Nicole’s leg in a hard slap. Her breath hitched in her throat. She tried to play it off as a delayed laugh.

Wynonna coughed beside them and nudged Nicole with her foot. Nicole froze, trying to conjure up any kind of excuse as to why her heart races at the smallest sight of her sister.

“Uh –”

“It’s time,” Wynonna said. “Let’s go. Doc’s probably out front.”

Nicole let out a relieved breath, hastily jumping up from the sofa. She felt Waverly jerk beside her, her fingers slipping off Nicole’s thigh. She offered Waverly a quick smile and a wave before she hurried out of the room in Wynonna’s wake.

Doc was leaning up against his Camaro, smoking. He tipped his hat when he saw Wynonna on the porch. His moustache twitched the slightest amount at the sight of Nicole behind her but that was the only indication he had even seen Nicole.

“I hope you don’t mind if she comes,” Wynonna said once she was a mere foot in front of him.

“Not in the slightest,” he said with a nod in Nicole’s direction. She returned the nod with a small smile and slipped through the door that Doc had opened for her.

The ride to Shorty’s was silent. Nicole playing with the rips in her jeans while Wynonna and Doc stared pointedly out the windscreen. Several times Nicole had opened her mouth in an attempt to ease the tension though each time had snapped it shut, turning back down to her jeans.

They were met with a smell of cooking when they entered Shorty’s. The new owner, a man named Robert, had set out a grill by the pool tables.

Nicole’s eyebrows rose; Shorty’s wasn’t known for it’s Saturday afternoon barbeque. There were only a few customers. A lone trucker at the bar, a couple of teenagers by the pinball machine, a small family at one of the tables.

Robert sighed at the sight of Wynonna’s raised eyebrow.

“Fundraiser,” he said simply, picking up a sausage with a pair of tongs. Nicole couldn’t help but think of the disapproving look that was bound to be on Waverly’s face if she had seen the barbeque. She shook her head, sighing, knowing that no matter what, Waverly Earp always found a way to slip into her conscious thoughts.

“That’s unlike you, Bobo,” Wynonna smirked, poking a finger at the plate of hot dog buns.

“Bunny’s on my case about using my business to some good in this town. As if pouring whiskey for the local drunks isn’t enough.”

Doc grinned, making his way behind the bar. Wynonna sidled over, eying the glass Doc had just poured himself.

“You, my dear,” Doc winked. “Are underage.”

Her mouth dropped open. “Are you kidding me? I’m literally eighteen next week. Besides, when has that stopped you before?”

He shrugged in defeat, watching as she snatched the glass from the bar, taking a sip.

“So, what is it that you wanted to tell me?”

She gave Nicole a sideways glance who nodded and set up the balls on the nearest pool table. She spent the next ten minutes or so lazily hitting the balls before Wynonna made her way back to her friend.

“So?” Nicole asked.

Wynonna sighed and rolled her eyes. “He just wanted to ask me if I would join him at the school carnival next week.”

“Well, that’s something at least. I mean, it wasn’t what you hoped for, but it sounds like it’s going that way.”

Wynonna clicked her tongue, picking up a pool cue.

“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?”

There was a pause. “I don’t know. Let’s just – just play pool and get drunk.”

Nicole rolled her eyes with a grin. “Sounds good to me.”

Doc brought over three glasses filled to the brim.

Wynonna eyed him suspiciously. “You trying to kill us, Henry?”

“I topped it with ginger ale in case a pestering Nedley makes his way to the supposed fundraiser.”

Wynonna winked, raising her glass. “Nicely done.”

Nicole took her own, taking a large sip. She wasn’t prone to day drinking, though as much as she hated to admit it, it was an easy way to forget about the confusion and pain that came with thinking of Waverly twenty-four seven. She was still positive that Waverly didn’t and would never feel the same but she couldn’t help dwell over that tiny spec of hope that came with every brief touch or look.

She shook her head once more, taking another swig and returned to the game at hand.


	2. Chapter 2

“How long does it take to get a damn pizza roll nowadays, Jesus,” Wynonna huffed as she sat down beside Waverly. “I’ve never seen the food caught this busy before.”

They were in the city, spending their one free school day at the mall. Wynonna wanted to buy another leather jacket for her date at the school fair that weekend. Wynonna had argued that, technically, they had never agreed it was a date, but Nicole knew better.

Nicole had spent the morning following the Earp girls around to nearly every store and watching Wynonna try on nearly every jacket until finally they had stopped to get a bite to eat.

Nicole picked at her burger, watching the other shoppers. She rarely went to the mall. Shopping was never her forte and she did not think it was worth the hours’ drive into the city every weekend that so many of classmates made.

“You know,” Wynonna said through a mouthful of bread. “I quite like this.” She shot out her arm, causing the fridges to sway.

“I should hope so,” Nicole said. “It’s not like we spent all morning trying to find it.”

“Yeah, yeah. We all know you hate shopping. Maybe if you loosen up a bit you might be able to find something a little better than those jeans.”

“Hey, I like these jeans. They’re cool.”

Waverly rolled her eyes and then picked up a sushi roll, pointing it at Nicole. “You’re going to this carnival thing on Saturday too, right?”

Nicole shrugged, “I don’t know. Maybe if Mercedes goes.”

“She and Beth are going into the city on Saturday.”

“Oh. Then I guess not. I’m not one to be the annoying third wheel on Wynonna’s date.” She wiggled her eyebrows at Wynonna causing her eyes to roll.

“Well,” Waverly said in between bites of her sushi. “I was thinking about going if you wanted to come with me?”

Nicole’s eyes pricked. “Yeah? Um, that would be great. It’s uh – it’s a date.” She chuckled awkwardly, instantly kicking herself and squeezing her eyes shut. Though when she opened them, Waverly was smiling at her and Wynonna didn’t seem to even hear her. Waverly caught Nicole’s eye, pulling a stand of hair behind her ear. Nicole didn’t want to raise her hopes, but she could have sworn there was a bright pink tinge in Waverly’s cheeks.

She took a hasty bite out of her burger, concentrating on anything but the face opposite her.

Waverly’s eyes flickered back to Nicole’s one last time before she turned back to her lunch.

-

“Hey, Tater-Haught.”

Nicole sighed at the familiar greeting. “What’s up, Wynonna?”

“So, Doc’s taking me to fair this afternoon instead of just meeting me there. Are you alright to just take Waverly?”

Nicole twirled the phone chord between her fingers. “Oh, right. Yeah, of course.” It was seeming more and more like a real date as the day went on. The butterflies pounding in her stomach only proved that. She took a breath, trying to calm her nerves. There was in no way this was a date. She was merely taking her best friend’s little sister to a festival at school in which they both attended. Completely normal and so unlike a date.

“Nicole?” Wynonna’s voice interrupted Nicole’s train of thought. “Did you hear me?”

“Oh, sorry. What did you say?”

She could almost see Wynonna’s eye roll from there. “I said, Doc and I can meet you by the Ferris wheel at eight?”

“Ah yeah, sounds good to me. What time is Doc taking you?”

“Around six, he said.”

Nicole nodded, thinking about the two hours at least that she would be spending with Waverly. Although she was beyond excited to spend that time with her, there was a part of her that was absolutely terrified she would slip up and give in to her desires.

“Haught!”

“Ah, sorry. Yeah that sounds good. I’m guessing Waverly and I will be there around the same time.”

Wynonna spoke a little bit more about her plans with Doc before hanging up, leaving Nicole to dwell on the night alone.

She paced back and forth in her room, trying not to look at the jeans and jacket laid out on her bed. There was still three hours to go before she was to pick up Waverly, but Nicole had been preparing her outfit all day. She wanted to at least look somewhat okay to compensate for the fool that she will inevitably make out of herself.

She picked up a remote and pressed a couple buttons so the stereo on her desk began playing Johnny Cash. She sat on the corner of her bed, strumming along with her guitar, trying to keep up to the music. She had only taught herself a few chords so far so she made sure she strummed lightly with her fingers so the rest of the house couldn’t hear musical mess that she was producing.

She tried hard to concentrate on the music but Waverly’s face kept popping into her mind’s focus. She sighed, throwing her guitar aside in defeat.

The minutes seemed to tick by excruciatingly slow and yet by the time Nicole was ready to get dressed, it felt like no time had passed at all. She shrugged on her faded denim jacket, making sure that her pins were all straight. Looking in the mirror, she ran a hand through her short hair. She had little make-up on – just enough to cover the spots that, to her dismay, had appeared that morning.

With one last desperate look in the mirror to check that her rolled cuffs of her jeans were even, she dashed out of her room.

Her mother stopped her in the hall.

“Woah, woah, woah. How many times have I told you not to run down those damned stairs?”

Nicole rolled her eyes.

“I just made dinner, don’t tell me you’re going out now?”

“Sorry, Mom. I promised Waverly I’d pick her up at six.”

Her mother frowned. “Waverly? Since when were you two that close? I figured you were going with Wynonna.”

“Well, Wynonna’s going with Henry, but Waverly still wanted to go so I said I’d take her.” She said the sentence very fast, almost as if it were rehearsed. 

Her mother’s frown continued. “Well that was nice of you.”

Nicole offered a small smile before pushing past her and into the kitchen.

“Does that mean you’re not eating?” Her mother called after her but Nicole had already raced through the front door and was down the porch steps.

Inside her car, Nicole’s brain slowed down. She wasn’t sure why she was in such a hurry to get past her mom. It wasn’t like she was late; it was only 5:30, plenty of time to drive the fifteen minutes it took to the Homestead.

She spent a while fishing through the cassettes in her glove compartment to find the perfect album to play for Waverly. She debated over Queen and Elton John before finally settling on ABBA’s _Arrival_. She sat there for another minute, wondering whether she should head off now and wait out the front of the Homestead. She tapped along to ‘When I Kissed the Teacher’ and pulled out of the drive.

She absently hummed along to the songs, her mind racing over questions like: _what would Waverly be wearing?_ Or _How has Waverly done her hair tonight?_ Or even _Is Waverly aware of how much of a date this seems like?_

“Or is it only me?” Nicole said aloud with a sigh. Of course this wouldn’t seem like a date to Waverly. To her, it was just her big sister’s friend taking her to a school fair because she had no one else to go with. That was it. Her grip tightened on the steering wheel as the familiar Earp mailbox appeared in the headlights.

She pulled in, careful not to park too close to the house. She knew it was very likely that Waverly was not ready yet and she didn’t want her to panic. Although she needn’t have panicked as before Nicole had even pulled up the handbrake, Waverly had fluttered down the stairs in a tight, baby pink dress, a leather jacket over her shoulders. Nicole forgot to breath as she saw how good Waverly looked. When she got closer, Nicole noticed her hair was curled and pulled over to one side.

“You’re early,” Waverly chirped when she opened the passenger side door.

There was a second before Nicole remembered how to speak. “That doesn’t seem to bother you though.”

Waverly shrugged, “I was ready an hour ago.”

Nicole glanced sideways at her, that small shred of hope growing by the second. Though before she let it fester, she snapped her head forward and put the car in reverse.

The eighth track started to play. Nicole was about to skip it when Waverly shot a hand out.

“I love this song.”

She started to sing along. Her voice a few octaves lower to try and match the pitch of Benny Anderson. Nicole smiled and tried to hum along as well.

“ _I was so lonely, I was blue. I couldn’t help it had to be you and I always thought you knew the reason why_ ,” Waverly sang along, wagging a finger at Nicole which caused her stomach to flip. She blinked and snapped her head towards the windscreen, realising she had been staring at Waverly for far too long. She heard Waverly chuckle beside her.

“Don’t kill us.”

Nicole tried to laugh, her heart still slamming in her chest.

The song finished just as Nicole pulled into the driving lot. She parked in her usual spot, relieved to see the number of cars around. It would be a good turn out indeed.

They got out of the car, shivering slightly from the sudden change in temperature.

“Wynonna said they’d meet us at the Ferris wheel at eight,” Nicole said, checking her watch. “So that gives us about two hours to kill.”

She glanced over at the school field. The lights from the old rides gave the evening sky a neon tinge to it. The Ferris wheel was at the very back of the field, closest to the senior building.

Nicole shoved her hands in the pockets of her jacket and made a start for the ticket booth and the end of the car park. Waverly followed suit. Nicole couldn’t help but notice how close Waverly was to her side. 

They paid for their tickets and headed onto the field.

“What did you want to do first?” Waverly chirped beside her.

Nicole shrugged. “I guess we could check out the Tilt-a-Whirl? I heard that one is gnarly.”

Waverly smiled and hurried forward, grabbing Nicole’s hand. Nicole took a breath and let Waverly drag her to the ride.

The line up wasn’t long. Only a few freshmen stood in front of them. They were whispering excitedly, pointing at the spinning carts, laughing at the pained looks on the little boys seated in one of them.

Nicole noticed Waverly shifting beside her.

“Are you nervous?” She asked, placing a hand on her shoulder. Waverly looks up and smiles sheepishly.

“I’ve never really been one for carnival rides,’ she admitted. “Not that I’ve been on many to properly tell. But…” She glanced back towards the ride, her smile faltering.

Nicole’s grip loosened on her shoulder. “You’ll be right. Just close your eyes.”

The ride shuddered to a stop and the teenage operator opened the gate for them to file on. Nicole followed Waverly to the furthest cart, a blue and green striped one. She climbed in, trying not to sit so close to Waverly. Although as soon as the ride began, the sudden force pushed Nicole right up against her. She offered a smile of apology, but Waverly just took her hand and squeezed.

The ride wasn’t as bad as Nicole had anticipated. Carnival’s were a special thing that her father had taken her to when she was younger so she had grown up with the familiar feeling of thrill in her stomach. She noticed that Waverly looked a little shaky when they shuffled through the gate.

“How was that?” Nicole asked with a sideways grin.

Waverly nudged her shoulder against Nicole’s. “It wasn’t all that bad, I guess. Let’s just stick to the tamer one’s next time.”

They headed to the line of carnival games where the majority of the senior year were, trying their best to win the biggest stuffed animal they could for their dates. Nicole couldn’t help but notice that she and Waverly seemed to be the only girls there without a guy by their sides. Not that Nicole minded of course, but she couldn’t help but wonder if there was someone that Waverly would rather have gone with. Her jaw ticked at the thought of Champ. She _really_ hoped that person in Waverly’s mind wasn’t Champ.

Waverly stopped at the laughing clown stall. Nicole’s heart had fluttered at the look Waverly had written across her face when they had passed the duck shooting game.

Waverly slid a couple dollars to the girl behind the stall. Two of the heads lit up and began turning slowly. Nicole wasted no time in picking up the first ball and popping it firmly in the mouth. She watched as the ball slid into the slot numbered ‘2’ _._ Her shoulder’s slumped. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Waverly chuckle, her ball fitted nicely into the ‘6’ slot.

Nicole’s eyes narrowed and picked up her second ball.

“Here,” Waverly said, shoving the little brown bear into Nicole’s face.

“What?”

“I got it for you,” Waverly beamed up at her, holding the bear at her face until Nicole took it.

Nicole frowned. “Why?”

Waverly only shrugged and turned towards the next stall. Nicole felt herself sway slightly, her heart pounding in her chest. She tried not to think about how this night was becoming more and more like a date. But of course, Waverly wouldn’t see that. She was just feeling sorry that Nicole hadn’t won anything and wanted to do a nice thing for her friend. That was all.

Nicole sighed and followed Waverly down the line of games, slowly pushing past the crowd. She could see Waverly a few paces ahead of her; her jeans tight and her jacket short, the hem flapping just above her waistline. Her sleeves were rolled up and Nicole couldn’t help but notice the veins flex as she used her arms to get through.

Then she stopped and turned, her eyes meeting Nicole’s instantly. There was a beat and Waverly smiled. Though it wasn’t a smile that Nicole was used to. She had only seen this smile once before; when Waverly was fourteen, staring at Champ across the cafeteria.

Nicole felt the breath hitch in her throat, suddenly not being able to move at all. The smile had only lasted a second but there was no denying what she saw.

“Are you coming?” Waverly called, her eyes still glued on Nicole’s.

It took a second for Nicole to find the words to respond.

Waverly led them towards the carousel. She walked straight through and hopped on a white horse with a red pole. Nicole climbed onto the black one next to her, stuffing the bear between her and the pole. Waverly grinned at her as the platform began to spin slowly.

It was seven thirty by the time they had gotten off the carousel.

“Maybe we could go to the Ferris wheel early,” Waverly began when Nicole had mentioned the time. “Go on one round before Wynonna gets there.”

Nicole only nodded, too afraid that her voice would betray her. The thought of her and Waverly alone on top of the Ferris wheel . . . she wasn’t sure she would be able to contain herself.

The bored looking teen glanced up when they approached. It seemed like the majority of kids had spent the night on the faster paced rides rather than the Ferris wheel.

“Two tickets, please,” Waverly chirped. He grinned at her and passed over two frayed paper tickets. Nicole felt a surge of jealousy bubble in her stomach.

She followed Waverly onto the seat, waiting awkwardly for the operator to close them in. Waverly squeaked excitedly when the ride started to move.

“I’ve never actually been on a Ferris wheel before.”

Nicole’s raised an eyebrow. “You haven’t?”

She shook her head. “I don’t even think I’ve been this high before.”

They were high enough to overlook the school. The carnival lights seemed even brighter from up here. Nicole glanced at Waverly and instantly felt her heart freeze. Waverly was on the edge of her seat, all bright eyed and wide smile.

“It’s so beautiful,” she said. Nicole couldn’t help it; she took a breath and placed her palm on top of Waverly’s hand resting beside them. Without even looking at Nicole, Waverly turned her hand over and intertwined their fingers. Nicole instantly let out a relieved breath.

Nothing, Nicole thought, could be more perfect than this.

It wasn’t until they had stopped at the very top when Waverly leant back against the plastic seat. She looked at Nicole and smiled. For the umpteenth time that night, Nicole’s breath stopped.

Before Nicole could attempt to return the smile, Waverly squeezed her hand and looked back towards the town. A minute later, Waverly leant against Nicole’s shoulder, shifting slightly to get comfortable. Nicole froze, desperate not to make a sudden movement to stir her.

She wasn’t sure how long they were there for but it didn’t seem like very long before there was a jolt and they starting to head down. Waverly let go of Nicole’s hand when the gate slid open and they hopped back onto the ground. It seemed to Nicole as if they had come back down to reality. As if the moment they shared up on the Ferris wheel was a figment of Nicole’s imagination. She sighed, aching to have Waverly’s hand in her own again.

It was the end of the night. Nicole idled on the curb outside the Homestead, waiting for Waverly to leave and the magic of the night to finally dissipate. Waverly didn’t move. She sat quietly in the passenger seat, rubbing her thumb against the fabric of her dress.

“Walk me up?” she said suddenly.

Nicole swallowed before parking and followed Waverly up the drive. There was a light on upstairs; Gus must still be up. Nicole shifted, suddenly feeling very awkward.

“Um, thanks for tonight,” Waverly said softly once they were on the porch. She had one hand on the doorknob, her other still playing with her dress. “It was nice.”

Nicole nodded, looking down at her feet. “It was.”

When she looked back up, Waverly was staring at her through her eyelashes. She could see her swallow before leaning up on her tip toes to kiss Nicole’s cheek. Nicole felt her eyes flutter closed as Waverly’s lips lingered for just a second. It wasn’t enough. Nicole turned her head and caught her lips as she pulled away. Waverly’s arms were around her in an instant, her mouth pressed softly against Nicole’s. Despite the amount of times Nicole had dreamt of this moment, nothing could prepare her for how perfect and right it felt. She ran a hand through Waverly’s hair before she pulled away slowly, her eyes still closed. She felt Waverly’s hands slide off her waist. 

When Nicole’s eyes finally opened, she could see Waverly’s hand was back on the doorknob.

“Um…” she began, unsure of where to go from there. Waverly caught her eye and smiled, brushing a hand through her hair.

“I guess I’ll see you later then,” Waverly finished, leaning up to give Nicole a quick peck on her lips. “Goodnight,” she said and slipped through the door.

Nicole almost skipped down the porch steps, grinning from ear to ear. When she was seated back in her car, it took her everything not to fist pump.


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick chapter here.

Nicole leant against her car, looking up at the building in front of her. It looked the same as it always did, red-bricked and rectangular, a stream of students filing their way into the main hall. Nicole had stood in this exact position every morning before the first bell for nearly four years but this time, it felt different.

She spent the weekend talking to Waverly on the phone in between shifts. She told her mom it was Wynonna on the phone, not wanting to cause any suspicion. But even then, Wynonna would never talk that much on the phone. Although she and Waverly spent hours talking, they never properly addressed what had happened after the carnival. Nicole didn’t mind. It felt good just talking and getting to know Waverly more than just as her best friend’s little sister. Though, she was a little worried that Waverly would continue as if nothing had happened that night. Nicole wasn’t sure she could handle that. 

With a squeak of the breaks, Wynonna pulled up next to her, slamming fist down on her horn. 

“What’s up, Haught,” Wynonna called through the open window. “It’s not like you to get here before us.” 

She shrugged, catching Waverly’s eye who was already out of the car, smiling at Nicole. Waverly bit her lip slowly and peered through her long eyelashes and Nicole knew she need not have ever worried. She was wearing light blue jeans with a white sweat tucked into it. Her sleeves were rolled up and Nicole noticed the way the muscles moved in her forearm when she shifted the books to her other arm. Her eyes returned to Waverly’s and grinned. For the first time in years, she didn’t feel like a creep when looking at Waverly.   
Wynonna slammed the door shut, causing Nicole to break away from Waverly’s gaze. 

“So I stayed with Doc over the weekend,” she said, heading straight for the school without even glancing at Nicole. Nicole supressed a sigh and followed. She walked silently beside her friend, listening to her antics about her sleepover. 

A small tug on her jacket told her that Waverly had caught up with them and Nicole instantly lost track of what Wynonna was telling her. She felt Wynonna stop and grip onto her arm. 

“What are you doing?” Wynonna demanded, glaring at Waverly.

She shrugged, “walking into school?” 

“Not with us you aren’t.” 

Waverly rolled her eyes but hung back when Wynonna dragged Nicole ahead. Nicole turned around and shot Waverly a wink before turning her attention back to Wynonna.   
She had been looking forward to lunch all morning. She knew that Wynonna wouldn’t care too much if Nicole had to skip lunch to work on an assignment; she would have Mercedes to keep her company. Besides, it wasn’t too uncommon for Nicole to spend her lunch, doing homework to keep up her grades. It wasn’t easy simultaneously being Wynonna’s best friend and a passing student. 

Though, she thought with a grin, it might be even harder to keep grades now.

She met Waverly at her locker. She stood a couple paces back, watching as she said goodbye to Chrissie and Stephanie before turning around and noticing Nicole. The hall was nearly empty but Nicole couldn’t wait; she grabbed Waverly’s arm and lead her to the abandoned classroom across the hall. Waverly slid the lock into the door and pushed Nicole against a desk, her arms wrapping around Nicole’s neck. 

Nicole dipped her head, kissing her hard. Her hands found Waverly’s waist, spinning her around and lifting her onto a desk. Waverly’s mouth was hot against her own, her tongue brushing briefly against Nicole’s lips. Nicole her hand into the back pocket of Waverly’s jeans and felt her shudder slightly against her body. 

Waverly’s hands caught in her hair; her fingers cool along the back of her neck. A hand slid down Nicole’s side and played with the hem of her t-shirt. A second later, she felt Waverly’s fingers trace up and down the small of back, causing a sudden shiver to run through her. 

Nicole dipped her head again and kissed her just below the jaw line. Waverly tilted her head back and pulled Nicole closer, both hands beneath her shirt. Nicole slowed, tracing little kisses along her jaw. Waverly gripped tighter, moaning softly. 

Nicole’s lips returned to Waverly’s, pressing harder. Waverly’s mouth opened instinctively, letting Nicole’s tongue run along her bottom lip. 

Though before Nicole could get any further, there was a crash against the door and a burst of laughter. She pulled away quickly, head snapping towards the door. It was still closed; the noise must have come from outside. Waverly stood up from the desk, brushing her hair behind her ears and panting slightly. 

“That was fun,” she said, meeting Nicole’s eye with a grin. Nicole reached for Waverly’s hand, running her thumb along it softly. 

“We should do it again sometime.” 

“What are you doing after school?” 

Nicole groaned. “Working.” 

Waverly shrugged. “Maybe I can swing by later.” 

“I’m sure we can arrange something.” 

Nicole leaned down for one more quick kiss before they slipped out of the room.


	4. Chapter 4

“Dude, I don’t get it.” 

Nicole rolled her eyes for the tenth time that afternoon. 

“Like I explained five minutes ago, double negatives cancel each other out.” 

Wynonna stared at her textbook, chewing the tip of her pencil. When she hadn’t moved for the next two minutes, Nicole sighed and shuffled across the floor to peer over Wynonna’s shoulder. 

“Here,” she said and took her own pencil to write the answer with detailed notes on how she got there. 

Wynonna grinned sheepishly. “What would I do without you?” 

“Fail senior year probably.” 

It was the next week, Nicole had been guilt tripped into coming over to help Wynonna study after school. A plate of biscuits lay on the floor between them, a curtesy of Gus, and two glasses of orange juice. Wynonna had already managed to spill hers on a sheet of Nicole’s homework. 

They had been in Wynonna’s room for almost an hour – Nicole having to stop her work every five minutes to fix something of Wynonna’s up. She was just about ready to pack up and call it a night when there was a soft knock on the door. 

If Wynonna heard it, she made no apparent response. Nicole called out. 

The door opened and Waverly slipped into the room. She gave Nicole a small smile before turning to Wynonna.   
“Gus said she wants you to help set the table.” 

Wynonna grunted, still chewing her pencil. Waverly’s gaze shifted to Nicole. 

“And wanted to know if you’d like to stay for dinner.” 

She stared intently, her mouth slightly open. There was a flash in her eyes that caused Nicole to swallow and look away. It took her everything not to have her right then and there.   
“Well, do you?” 

Wynonna’s voice brought Nicole crashing back into the room. 

“Oh, um,” she choked out. “Yeah, sure. That would be great. I’ll come down and help.”   
“Dude, no. That means I’ll have to.” 

Waverly rolled her eyes. “You have to anyway.” 

Wynonna groaned and threw her pencil down. She pushed past Waverly and thundered down the hall, leaving the two of them alone. 

Nicole stood slowly, making her way over to Waverly. She leant down, brushing her hand behind Waverly’s ear. 

“Haught! You coming?” 

Nicole pulled away hastily, shooting Waverly an apologetic smile before hurrying out of the room. 

Gus loaded a plate of mashed potatoes down in front of Nicole, her tongue out slightly, concentrating on not dropping the plate of stacked sausages in her other hand. 

“Now, girls,” she said once they were all seated. “There’s not much in the way of vegetables, but you’ll just have to do without for tonight.” 

Wynonna only rolled her eyes as she stabbed a fork into the top sausage. Waverly smiled at Gus, piling a heap of potatoes onto her plate. Nicole knew Waverly wouldn’t go near the sausages, though she was aware that her new diet wasn’t always on the top of Gus’s mind. Waverly just smiled and made do with what she could eat. 

Nicole offered a smile from across the table as she placed a sausage on her own plate. Waverly winked surreptitiously and placed her foot on top of Nicole’s. Nicole glanced around quickly before realising that no one could see beneath the table. Besides, Wynonna was too busy digging into her food and Gus was staring too intently at the small television to notice. 

Waverly’s foot remained there for the rest of the meal, slowly stroking her toes over Nicole’s socked foot. 

Nicole offered to do the dishes, but Gus ushered her off, assuring her it was Wynonna’s turn. She thanked Gus for the food and said goodnight. 

“I’ll walk her out,” Waverly called from the kitchen just as Nicole reached the front door. 

They walked silently down the short drive to her car. Nicole wanted nothing more than to be able to reach down and take Waverly’s hand in hers, but she knew it was too risky; an overprotective Gus always sat by the window until Nicole was safely in her car. 

Nicole leant up against the driver’s side door, not quite ready to drive off yet. 

“Wanna come for a drive?” She asked with a wink. Waverly looked back towards the house. 

“I shouldn’t,” she said. “I need to help clean up the mess Wynonna will inevitably leave. Plus, I don’t want them to get suspicious. Wynonna is still your best friend.”   
Nicole sighed, knowing she was right. 

“Well how about tomorrow night? Make something up about studying with Chrissie and I’ll meet you at the diner.” 

Waverly smiled, peering up at Nicole through her eyelashes. “That sounds like something I can do.” 

It took Nicole everything she had not to lean in and kiss her. Instead, she slid into her car, gave Waverly a small wave and drove away. 

Nicole brushed a hand through her short hair, angling the spoon so she could see her reflection. She had just finished her shift and was seated in a booth at the back of the diner. Waverly wouldn’t be there for at least another fifteen minutes; this would be their first real time alone since it started. Nicole was panicking. Was this a date? Was Nicole supposed to buy her flowers? What was Waverly expecting?

She was still obsessively running her hand through her hair when the little bell chimed, and Waverly slipped into the seat opposite her. Her smile was wide and her eyes bright.   
Nicole’s hand instantly fell from her head, a smile sliding onto her face.

“Hey,” Waverly said, reaching over and taking her hand. 

“Hey.” 

Nicole let their fingers intertwine, tracing her thumb over Waverly’s. 

“I was thinking we’d get a bite to eat here first and then go for drive?” 

Waverly’s smile grew. “Where will we go?” 

The corner of Nicole’s mouth twisted upwards. “I think I know a place you’ll like.” 

Nicole ordered them a plate of fries and pancakes to share at Waverly’s request. They sat hand in hand, making small talk as they ate; covering topics of school that day, cheerleading tryouts and Wynonna. Nicole took in every word, so grateful to finally be able to look at her and hold her hand the way she had been wanting to for years. Although she knew they had to keep in on the down low. Wynonna didn’t want Waverly dating at all, let alone with her best friend. Plus, their school wasn’t exactly known for its progressive reputation. Nicole didn’t mind all that much though; just these secret moments together were enough for now. 

Waverly stopped talking, eyes narrowing at Nicole.

“What?” 

Nicole shrugged with a smirk. “Nothing. Just admiring the view.” 

Waverly rolled her eyes, but an unmistakable pink tinge appeared on her cheeks. There was a pause before she shook her head and continued her story about a particularly difficult History test. 

Nicole insisted on paying causing Waverly to jut out her bottom lip and promise that she would pay next time. 

In the car, she let Waverly flick through the cassettes until she decided to go with Bruce Springsteen’s Born in the USA.

She shrugged when Nicole raised an enquiring eyebrow. “I know you like this album.” 

“Do you?” 

“I like a few songs, yeah.” 

“Skip to those then.” 

Waverly smiled as she skipped to the sixth song, humming along as ‘I’m on Fire’ started to play. 

Nicole backed out of the parking lot and headed down the highway. She tapped along to the beat on the steering wheel as Waverly turned the volume knob higher. Nicole made the mistake of glancing sideways. Waverly was sitting with her eyes slightly closed, singing so softly that Nicole almost couldn’t hear it. There was a strand of hair not quite pushing all the way back behind her ear, the light from the moon making it glisten. She snapped her head forwards, eyes wide. If she had stared for any longer, she feared she might not have been able to ever turn away. She had never seen Waverly more beautiful. 

Nicole made sure to keep her eyes on the road until the car was well and truly parked. She had driven them up to a lookout. It wasn’t very high and the view wasn’t as good as any of the more touristy lookouts on the top of the mountain but Nicole knew that they would be alone at this one. 

Waverly took her seatbelt off slowly, staring out at the town lights below them. 

“So pretty.” 

Nicole bit back the remark that instantly came to her lips for fear it would be too cheesy for sophisticated Waverly. Instead, she reached over and placed a hand on her thigh.   
When Waverly’s eyes met hers, Nicole smiled and jerked her head towards the undercover lookout spot. They walked hand in hand towards the bench in the middle of the lookout. Nicole slowed, ready to sit down though Waverly kept going, letting go of Nicole’s hand as she continued to the bannister. Nicole followed and placed a hand on her waist, pulling her close. 

“I’m really glad you agreed to come with me to the carnival,” Waverly said after a while, not shifting her gaze from the town. “Really glad.”

Nicole turned and pressed her lips to the top of Waverly’s head. 

“So am I,” she said softly. 

“I, um, I didn’t know you felt the same way,” Waverly continued, still staring straight ahead. “I thought I was just Wynonna’s little sister.” 

Nicole smiled, propping her chin lightly on her head. “You were. Which made it very difficult for me to have these feelings.” 

“Wynonna doesn’t control me,” Waverly said suddenly. “I can make my own decisions about what I want. Who I want.” 

“I know that.” 

“Good. I just know that you’re worrying about what she would think. You know how she was around Champ.” 

Nicole sighed. “I know.” 

“It’ll take her some time to get used to it –” 

“Wait.” Nicole leant back so that she was facing Waverly. “Are you saying you want to tell her?” 

Waverly turned towards Nicole. “I mean, not yet. It’s still new. But she’s got to find out eventually, right? Unless…” 

“Unless?” 

Waverly looked away again. “Unless you don’t plan on this being long enough for anyone to find out.” 

“Hey,” Nicole said softly, stepping away so that she could place both hands on Waverly’s shoulders. “I have been waiting for this for nearly four years. I want this to last at least twice that long.” 

Waverly smiled and then frowned. “Four years? But you’ve only known me for four years.” 

Nicole pulled her back in towards her, Waverly’s head resting just below her chin. “I know.”


	5. Chapter 5

They were back in the car, pressed together on the bench seat. Nicole leant against the driver’s side door, with Waverly snuggled up against her, both feet kicked up onto the seat. Nicole’s arm was over her shoulder, softly stroking the ends of her hair. A breeze ran through the slightly open widows, making Waverly shiver. Nicole pulled her closer.   
Her eyes were closed. All she could hear were the sounds of the town below them and Waverly’s soft breathing. Nicole couldn’t imagine a time more perfect than this. 

Waverly stirred, lifting her head to look up at Nicole. She squeezed one eye open to find Waverly staring at her. 

“Hm?” she barely murmured, stifling a yawn.

Waverly laughed, reaching up to cup her chin in her hand. “You’re cute.” 

Nicole smiled as Waverly pressed her lips softly on hers. The kiss didn’t last long; Nicole had barely lifted her hand when Waverly pulled away and found her place against Nicole’s chest. 

A minute later, Waverly was up again, reaching for Nicole’s stack of cassettes in the glove box. Nicole kept her eyes closed. 

She felt the weight of Waverly as she returned once more, ‘Pictures of You’ by The Cure playing quietly from the stereo. 

“Good choice,” Nicole mumbled into Waverly’s hair. She drifted off to sleep before Robert Smith had begun the first verse. 

She woke an hour later. Waverly was still tucked into her arm, her breaths long and slow. The music had stopped. Nicole sat up straight, wincing when Waverly stirred. 

“Hey,” she soothed, brushing her hair out of her face. Waverly blinked a few times before she smiled, leaning into Nicole’s hand. 

“What time is it?” Her voice croaky from sleep. 

Nicole angled her watch hand in the moonlight. “Just after eight.” 

Waverly groaned. “I should get back.” 

Nicole nodded, stroking the side of Waverly’s face. 

“We should do this every week,” Waverly continued. “Make it regular. I’ll just tell Gus that I’m going to Chrissie’s to study every Wednesday afternoon.” 

Nicole smiled. “Oh, I don’t know about that . . .” 

“What do you mean?” She asked, frowning. 

“Will once a week be enough for you?” 

Waverly rolled her eyes. “Hey, I’m just saying we should make this –” she gestured to the view out in front of them – “a regular occurrence. I’m sure there will be plenty of time during the week for other things.” 

Nicole raised an eyebrow. “Yeah? Like what other things?” 

Waverly turned away with a smirk. “Oh, I don’t know. Maybe something like this . . .” Her eyes flicked back to Nicole’s and her smirk disappeared. She reached up to place a cool hand on the back on Nicole’s neck, her other fiddling with the buttons on Nicole’s jacket. With one hand, she pulled her down, kissing her hard. Her hand twisted in Nicole’s coat as she lifted Waverly up by her waist, pulling her on top. Waverly’s hair brushed against Nicole’s face as she leant down to kiss Nicole, her hands on each cheek. 

Nicole moaned softly as Waverly’s tongue slipped inside. Her grip tightened on Waverly’s waist, her hands clutching at her skirt. She could almost feel the warmth of her skin through the thick fabric. 

Taking one hand off Nicole’s face, Waverly traced a finger down her neck and over her shirt, not stopping until she reached the hem at the bottom. Not wasting a second, she lifted her top and placed a cool hand on Nicole’s stomach. 

Nipping at Waverly’s bottom lip, Nicole followed suit, raising her hand to the line of bare skin above Waverly’s waist band. Nicole shuddered as Waverly’s hand crept up along her stomach, stopping just before her bra. She felt Waverly smile against her lips as she moved from her mouth to lining her jaw with little kisses. When she had finally pulled away altogether, Nicole’s eyes were closed, savouring the feeling Waverly’s lips. One eye peeked open, finding Waverly sitting back and staring, her hair slightly ruffled. 

Nicole smiled. “I guess I’d better get you home then.” 

With a sigh and a nod, Waverly slid slowly back into her seat. Nicole did the same, turning the ignition key. 

The drive back to the Homestead seemed to take half as long. Nicole idled on the curb, watching Waverly slowly pick up her study bag.

“Do you want me to walk you up?” 

Waverly scanned the house and shook her head. “The living room light is on. Gus is probably watching TV.” 

Nicole nodded, reaching over to tip Waverly’s chin up with her index finger. She leant in, slowly kissing her. 

“Goodnight,” she whispered against Waverly’s lips as she pulled away. 

Waverly smiled and hopped outside, almost skipping her way to the porch. Nicole watched as the door opened as Gus poked a head out, noticing Nicole’s car. She gave a wave and ushered Waverly inside. The porch light switched off. 

At school, Waverly dragged them into every empty classroom she could without drawing suspicion. Nicole and become accustomed to looking out for the familiar face almost everywhere she went. Whenever Nicole was alone, Waverly would always find a way to appear next to her. 

“What, are you stalking me now?” Nicole had said after the third time in two days. 

Waverly smirked. “Something like that.”

Now, Nicole sat alone at the back of her math class though her mind was still in the broken, unused bathroom that she was in less than half an hour ago with Waverly. She could feel the ghost of Waverly’s lips on hers and the tingle on her arm as she traced her fingers up and down, following Waverly’s path. 

“Sleeping on the job now, are we?” 

She opened her eyes to find Xavier Dolls in the seat beside her. He had one eyebrow raised. 

She rolled her eyes. “First off, it’s math, not a job. And second, class hasn’t even started yet.” She motioned to the empty teacher’s desk at the front of the room. 

“Fair enough.” 

There was a pause and Dolls began taking out his books and pencils. Nicole noticed out of her peripherals, he kept glancing sideways at her. Just before she was about to call him out on it, he stopped fiddling, nodded and leant towards her desk.

“So, um. . .” His voice had lost the confident tone. “the Spring Dance is coming up –”

“Dolls,” she said, sighing. “You know better than anyone that I wouldn’t be caught dead at a school dance. And, you know, I’m gay.” She said that last part with a smirk, remembering when Dolls had called her out on it pretty much the first time they had met. 

He frowned, sitting up straight. “What?” Then his eyes went wide and his mouth formed a little ‘O’ shape. “Oh – no, no, no. I wasn’t asking you to the dance. I just thought that maybe you’d want to take Waverly.” 

Nicole’s smirk disappeared straight away. “Wha – what do you mean?” She tried desperately to keep the panic out of her voice. “Why would you think that?” 

Dolls was staring at her, his mouth turned up in an almost concerned smile. “It’s okay,” he said, turning his pencil over in his hands. “I’ve been seeing you two hang around a lot. I can put two and two together.” 

Nicole stared back at Dolls, her jaw clenched. She thought about all the times that they met up in the halls, always on the lookout for Wynonna. It didn’t even occur to her to check for her other classmates. Inwardly, Nicole kicked herself. 

“Does Wynonna know?” Dolls continued. “I’m guessing not.”

Nicole’s eyes narrowed slightly. “No, she doesn’t know.” 

He put up two hands. “Hey, I’m not going to tell anyone. You know that right?” 

She sighed and nodded. 

“I just thought it would be better for you to talk to someone about this.” 

“Yeah, thanks.” She stopped and looked back at him. “When did you find out?” 

He grinned then. “I’ve been watching you watch Waverly for years now so I worked that out pretty quick. But it wasn’t until the carnival when I thought that you had finally done something about it.”

She laughed. “It wasn’t until after the carnival actually. But I’ll give it to you.” 

He raised his eyebrows but said nothing.


	6. Chapter 6

Nicole sat crossed legged on the bleachers, absently flicking a cigarette. Her eyes were glued on the ball below, darting from player to player. It was soccer tryouts. Nicole had been up for the last several nights, tossing and turning over the idea of showing up. She had always liked the thought of being on a team but had never had the confidence to actually try out. Though seeing as it was her senior year, she thought she might as well give it a shot. Plus, it helped that Waverly had spent the previous night encouraging her over the phone. 

“Give it to me if you’re not going to have it,” Wynonna said, plucking the cigarette from in between Nicole’s fingers. “So, are you going down or what?” She waved the cigarette towards the field. 

Nicole clicked her tongue, still staring at the ball. “Fuck it,” she said and stood up. 

The girls looked up when she had arrived. The one in front looked her up and down, scoffing at Nicole’s combat boots and denim jacket. 

“Are you lost?” she said, arms crossed over her chest. 

Nicole attempted to smile. “I’m – uh – here to try out.” 

There were snickers from some of the girls in the back. The front one nodded slightly.

“Well, you won’t be able to play in those,” she pointed at Nicole’s shoes. “Have you got football boots?” 

Nicole shook her head. 

The girl jerked her thumb over her shoulder. “There’s a few pairs spare in the change rooms. Find your size and meet back in five minutes. Coach will be here soon.”   
Nicole nodded her thanks and sped off towards the school. 

Five minutes later, she was in a line with the rest of the girls, listening to the coach’s instructions. She wiggled her toes, wincing as her big toe pressed up against the side of the shoe. Of course the biggest pair there was far too small for Nicole. 

She shrugged out of her jacket and tossed it to the side, leaving her just in an Iron Maiden tee. The coach took one look at her shirt, raised his eyebrows and then continued his speech. 

They did a lap of the field first; Nicole comfortably jogging with the girls in the front. The exercises weren’t too difficult for Nicole to keep up. Although she had never been part of a team before, she had played soccer at lunchtimes and afterschool with the boys in her class. Towards the end of tryouts, during their final game, Nicole noticed Waverly sitting next to Wynonna in the bleachers. She gave a small wave when she saw Nicole looking. Nicole grinned and turned back towards the game to see an opposing player running straight towards her. 

Nicole’s team won by five goals to two. The coach told them the team list would be stapled to the school’s notice board by the end of the week and thanked them all for trying out. Nicole followed the other girls back to the change rooms to swap her shoes over. When she was slipping on her boots, the girl from the start sidled up next to her. 

“You’re not half bad.” 

Nicole looked up through her bangs. “Thanks.” 

“Have you played before?” 

Nicole shrugged, trying the final knot on her boots. “A little.” 

The girl smiled, brushing a strand of hair behind her ear. Nicole frowned before turning towards the door. 

“I should probably get going.” 

The girl nodded. “I’m sure you’ve made the team, so I’ll probably see you around.” 

Nicole smiled. “We’ll see.” 

The Earp sisters were waiting outside for her. Wynnona stood with her arms crossed over her chest, glaring out at the girls as they left the change rooms. Nicole recognised some of them as the ones who bullied Wynonna back in middle school after her mom left and her dad died.

Waverly grinned when she saw Nicole. She was wearing slightly flared jeans and a light pink blouse that exposed plenty of cleavage. Nicole snapped her eyes back to Waverly’s after she found herself staring for a second too long. Waverly only laughed and winked. 

“How’d it go, Haught-Shot?” Wynonna said, her face contorted back into her usual glare. 

Nicole shrugged. “Alright, I guess. I’ll find out if I made it by Friday.” 

“I don’t know much about soccer, but it looked like it went okay from where I was sitting.” 

“Yeah,” Waverly piped up. “You looked really good.” She shot Nicole a look before adding: “You’re a really good player.”   
Nicole’s eyebrows rose slightly before she nodded her thanks with a smile. 

Wynonna’s eyes flashed between the two of them for she shrugged and began picking something out of her teeth. “Pizza anyone?” 

Half an hour later, the three of them were seated at their usual booth at the diner. Nicole sat across from the other two, watching Wynonna dig into her pepperoni pizza. Waverly had both hands wrapped around her vanilla milkshake, taking small sips and staring at Nicole through her eyelashes. 

Taking a sip of her own milkshake, she met Waverly’s eyes, wishing more than anything that Wynonna was not with them. Waverly cast a nervous glance sideways but Wynonna was far to invested in her pizza to notice. Nicole smiled and slipped her foot gently on top of Waverly’s, which had seemed to become their thing if they couldn’t hold hands.   
Wynonna cleared her throat, throwing her half-eaten slice back onto the plate. “You coming back to ours, Haught? Gus wants to have a boardgame night and thought you might want to join.” 

Nicole’s eyes lingered on Waverly’s a second before flicking to Wynonna’s. “Oh, yeah, that sounds good. I’ve got to do a couple things for Mom first, but I can swing by later.” 

“Oh! That reminds me, Wynonna,” Waverly perked up. “I’m going to Chrissie’s to study this afternoon, but I’ll be back by dinner time.” 

Wynonna rolled her eyes. “Chrissie’s again? If I didn’t know any better, I’d think you were dating.” 

Waverly met Nicole’s gaze with a smile before glancing away. 

“So, um,” Nicole began. “I’ll drop you two off and be back around seven?” 

“Is Chrissie picking you up, Waves?” 

“Oh, no. I was just going to walk.” 

Wynonna waved her crust between the two of them. “Nicole can just drop you off after me, right Haught? It’s only a couple blocks from the Homestead.”   
Nicole fought the sudden urge to laugh. “Oh, yeah, of course. I can do that.” 

Half an hour later, Nicole pulled out of the Homestead with Waverly in the passenger seat. 

“That was easy,” Waverly said, reaching over to place her hand on top of Nicole’s free one. Nicole gave her hand a squeeze before shifting gears. 

“So, where to today?” 

Waverly clicked her tongue. “I was thinking maybe bowling? And then grab a bite to eat after.” 

Nicole grinned. “That sounds very much like a date, Waverly Earp.” 

Waverly returned the grin, shifting in her seat to face Nicole. “Does it? Weird.” 

“So,” Waverly said after a moment. “You did really well today.” 

“Yeah?” 

“Oh yeah. I couldn’t stop looking at you. Those gym shorts and football boots really do you wonders.” 

Nicole laughed. “That doesn’t come close to you in your cheer outfit. Man.” 

“That reminds me . . . I’ve – um – been wanting to show you something that I’ve been working on.” 

Nicole’s eyebrows rose. “Yeah? Something cheerleading related?” 

She saw Waverly nod out of her peripherals. 

“I can’t wait.” 

A little while later, Nicole pulled into the bowling alley parking lot. She slid on her jacket and took Waverly’s hand as they headed towards the building. Being early afternoon on a Saturday, the place was packed. The lady at the counter had told them that there was group finishing shortly but they would have a to wait a couple minutes. Waverly insisted on paying, claiming it was her turn. Nicole tried to fight but with one look of Waverly’s wide eyes and jutted out lip, she cracked. 

They found a few seats by the arcade area to change shoes. It wasn’t long before the group had finished, leaving a mess of potato chip packets and milkshake cups. Waverly only rolled her eyes and she bent down to pick them up. They found the right sized balls and got started. Nicole was evidently surprised when Waverly lifted a heavier ball than her own and placed it on the belt. 

“What?” 

“Oh, nothing.” 

Waverly smiled, picking up her ball and walking towards the alley. Nicole watched as all ten pins came crashing down. Of course Waverly Earp would be the one to get a strike on the first go. Waverly spun around and skipped back to the seats, a huge grin on her face. Nicole let out a whistle through her teeth. 

“Damn, babe. You’re good at this.” 

Waverly’s lips twitched slightly at the pet name and leant down for a quick kiss. 

“What the fuck?” 

Nicole pulled away to find Champ Hardy glaring at them through gritted teeth.


	7. Chapter 7

“What the fuck, Waverly.” 

Nicole heard Waverly sigh as she slipped off her lap. “Champ, please. Not now.” 

“You dumped me for her?” 

“I dumped you because you didn’t listen to me. I gave you so many chances, but you never listened to me. It was always about you.” 

Champ scoffed. “Are you talking about that night? I was drunk, you knew that.” 

“God, Champ. That night was just the final tipping point.” She sighed again, running a hand through her hair. “Please, can we not have this conversation right now. It’s over. And you’ve obviously moved on too.” She nodded towards the tall blonde that was sitting on a bench nearby, staring at them. 

Champ’s eyes finally met Nicole’s, narrowing into a glare. “You’re kidding me. Her. This is who you choose over me? Some butch ass kisser?” 

“Hey,” Waverly said sharply. “I could tell you a million reasons why I chose her over you, but I don’t want to waste my breath on you.” 

Nicole felt a tug at her heart as she watched Waverly stand up to the guy who made her miserable for so long. 

Champ laughed suddenly, but it was a cold, callous, bark of a laugh. “What, so are you, like, a dyke or something now.” 

Nicole’s eyes flashed and she saw Waverly take a small step forward. But before either of them could say anything, Champ continued. 

“Was I really that bad?” He placed a hand on his heart in mock offence. His mouth then contorted into a smirk and leant in to whisper something to Waverly. Nicole wished she could say she couldn’t hear it, but Champ was never good at keeping his voice low. 

“Because from what I remember, you seemed to enjoy it a lot. Screaming my name . . . ripping the sheets –” 

“Enough!” Waverly’s voice had become shrill. Although Nicole couldn’t see her face, she knew Waverly would be staring at him through popping eyes.   
Nicole looked away, wishing more than anything that the image of Waverly and Champ together would leave her brain. 

Champ’s face was still etched in his smirk, arms crossed over his chest. “Or do you need another reminder?” 

Before she could help herself, Nicole stood up, hands clenched in fists so hard her knuckles turned white. “I think it’s time for you to go, Champ.” 

He didn’t even look at her. His eyes were still glued to Waverly’s. 

Nicole stepped forward, placing her arm around Waverly’s waist. Champ’s smirk faulted as he watched, his brow contorted in a frown. 

“Just go, Champ. We’re done here.” 

He lingered a moment longer, still staring at the two of them with his arms crossed before finally clicking his tongue and sulked back to the blonde on the bench. 

Waverly sighed, turning towards Nicole. “I’m sorry about that.” 

“Hey,” Nicole soothed, pulling her into a hug. “He’s an asshole. You’re so much better off without him in your life.” 

She smiled, nestling into Nicole’s chest. “I know. Thanks, I – um. Let’s just get out of here.” 

“You sure? You did pay for a whole game.” 

Nicole felt her nod. “Yeah, I don’t really feel like it anymore.” 

“That’s fair.” 

They walked through the building, Nicole’s arm over Waverly’s shoulder. Nicole looked straight ahead, aware of Champ’s eyes following their every move.   
Waverly chuckled softly once they were seated in the car. 

“What?” 

“It’s funny, isn’t it?” Waverly said, shifting towards Nicole. “How different things are from two months ago. How much better they are.” 

Nicole smiled, taking Waverly’s hand in her own. 

“Are you hungry?” 

Waverly shrugged. “A little.” 

“There’s a little bar on the outside of town that not many people know about. We’ve probably had enough of running into familiar faces for one day.” 

Waverly laughed and nodded, letting go of Nicole’s hand so she could start the car. 

The bar was dingy and run down. Its wooden panels all scratched and splintered. A crooked sign with the name ‘Pussy Willows’ written with red paint hung from the door. Nicole saw Waverly’s eyebrows raise as she pulled into a park. 

“Yeah, it’s no Shorty’s.” Nicole said with a laugh. “But they’ll have some chips or something.” 

There were a few men on bikes surrounding the entrance. Most smoking with a bottle in hand. A few looked up and grinned through broken teeth when they approached. Nicole was suddenly glad that she had not taken Waverly’s hand. She knew Waverly felt the same as she crossed her arms over her chest. 

Inside was even more dingy than the outside. The only light they could see was from a dim overhanging light above the bar. They could only see where they were going from the faint sunlight shining through the dusty windows next to the door. The barman looked up when they walked through, squinted at them, grunted and then went back to pouring another drink. The place was fairly empty; a lone biker sat at the bar, staring at his half-drunk glass in front of him and a couple were seated at a booth at the far corner of the room. 

They found a table closest to the door and slipped onto the high stools. Waverly glanced around the room nervously before meeting Nicole’s eyes and giving her a small smile. Suddenly, Nicole felt like the biggest idiot in the world taking Waverly Earp to a place like this. 

“We can go somewhere else…” 

“It’s fine really. There’s no one here anyway.” She offered a smile. “Quick service.” 

“That’s true.” Nicole sighed, standing up. “Okay I’ll go order.” 

It took a minute of Nicole standing awkwardly at the bar, waving in the barkeeps direction for him to look slowly up at her. 

“What you after?” he grunted at her. 

“Um, two ginger beers and – do you sell any kind of food here?” 

He pointed behind him towards a vending machine full of dusty potato chip packets. 

“And two of those please.” 

She threw a couple dollars down and headed back to the table; drinks in each hand and chips clamped between her teeth. She was overtly aware of the dust building up on her lips. 

She placed the drinks down and immediately spat out the packets. Waverly laughed as Nicole comically brushed her tongue and lips off with her hands. 

“I would not be surprised if we open those up and it’s just crumbs.” Nicole said, shaking her head. “Something tells me these are very, very old.” 

“Well let’s see.” Waverly took one of the packets and opened it slowly. Surprisingly, they were intact and not stale at all. Waverly plopped one in her mouth. “Not bad.”   
Nicole placed a hand on Waverly’s as they ate. 

“I like this,” she said as she stroked her thumb along Waverly’s. “Not having to hide.” 

Waverly nodded, staring at their hands. “It’s nice.” 

“Wynonna still has no idea? She hasn’t mentioned anything at home?” 

She shook her head. “No, not at all. I mean, she keeps joking about me and Chrissie but that’s it.” Waverly laughed then. “Besides, it’s Wynonna. She’s, like, the least observant person in the world.” 

Nicole had to agree. She remembered in ninth grade when she and Dolls had taken turns throwing little bits of paper at Wynonna from across the lunch table. She was far too busy scoffing down her donuts to even notice. 

A moment passed between them, each taking small sips of their drink and sharing glances. Waverly sat up straighter, her eyes flicking down before meeting Nicole’s. 

“About Wynonna. I’ve been thinking . . .” She trailed off.

Nicole could fill in the gaps. “You want to tell her?” 

“I just don’t want to keep pretending like there’s nothing between us around her.” 

Nicole nodded, scratching her lip. 

“It’s like, I like you so much,” Waverly continued. “And I want to be able to tell my sister about my girlfriend, you know?” 

Nicole’s head snapped forward. “Girlfriend?” 

She could see the sudden panic in Waverly’s eyes. “Or not. I mean, we haven’t really discussed it yet. It doesn’t have to be anything, if you –” 

“Hey,” Nicole placed a hand on top of Waverly’s, stopping her mid panic. “Girlfriends.” She winked. “I like the sound of that.” 

Waverly’s eyes widened. “You do?” She sighed in relief. “Oh my god, for a second I thought you were going to say we should stop this right now and leave me here.” 

Nicole rolled her eyes. “Always so dramatic.” 

Waverly pretended to pout and cross her arms. 

“So,” Nicole said, returning her hand to Waverly’s. “When do you want to tell her?” 

“Tonight?” 

Nicole’s eyebrows rose. “She’s going to be mad.”

“I mean, she’ll have to be happy for us eventually, right? She hated Champ. I’m sure she’d be much happier with you.” 

“Her best friend?” 

She sighed. “You’re right. Ugh.” 

Nicole squeezed her hand slightly. “It’ll be okay. She’ll come around. We’re probably over thinking this. She might be over the moon when we tell her.”   
\--

Hours later, they walked hand in hand up the Homestead drive. Just before the front door, Nicole stopped to give Waverly a quick forehead kiss. 

“You ready for this?” 

Before Waverly could get a word out, the front door swung open and Wynonna leapt out, grabbing Nicole’s arm. 

“There you are!” Wynonna said, dragging her through the door. “You had me worried I was going to have to do boardgame night alone.” She stopped then and peered over her shoulder. “Did you give Waverly a lift?” 

“Uh –”

“Damn, she’s gonna have to start paying you for lifts soon.” 

Nicole rolled her eyes. Despite the part of her that was glad Wynonna had not caught onto anything, she did kind of wish that Wynonna would call them out on it, rather than having that inevitable awkward conversation out of the blue. 

Gus was in the kitchen, finishing up the spaghetti and putting together a bowl of salad. 

“Wynonna, I’m not going to ask again. Can you please set the table – oh, hi Nicole. I hope you’re hungry.” 

Once the table was set and bowls of spaghetti and salad were laid out in front of them, Waverly made her move. She glanced sideways at Nicole before clearing her throat and looked across the table at her sister. 

“Wynonna,” she began, gently placing down her fork. “I need to tell you something.” 

“Hm?” Wynonna didn’t look up. Her plate was already half cleared, a huge spiral twirled around her fork. She put it in her mouth in one go, swallowed and then finally looked up at Waverly. “What’s up?” 

“Is this about your secret girlfriend?” Gus piped up from the end of the table, causing Waverly to snap her head sideways and Nicole to drop her fork.   
“Girlfriend?” Wynonna said slowly, frowning. 

“Um . . . wha –” 

Gus laughed. “Oh, don’t tell me you didn’t know I was home all those times you were on that damned phone for hours on end. And I may be getting old, but my hearing’s still with me enough to know that wasn’t the likes of Champ on the other end.” 

Waverly threw a nervous glance at Nicole before turning back to Gus. 

“So, who is it?” Gus continued. “My bet’s on Chrissie.” She winked at Wynonna, who was still frowning slightly. 

Waverly blinked and played with her fork. 

“Spill, Waverly,” Wynonna said, eyebrows raised. “Although I’m glad you’re not back with Champ, I still want to know who I have to beat up if she doesn’t treat you properly.” 

Nicole choked on the water she had just taken a sip of, hitting her chest with her fist until her eyes watered. 

Wynonna grinned. “Nicole will help.” 

“That’s the thing,” Waverly said, taking a breath. Nicole stopped breathing, anxiously watching Wynonna’s face as she stared inquiringly at Waverly. The silence was deafening. Nicole felt beads of sweat begin to pool on her forehead and her hands instantly become clammy. She hastily leant down to wipe them on her jeans.   
Waverly reached under the table and took Nicole’s hand in her own. “Nicole won’t be able to help because . . .” She gave a reassuring squeeze and brought their joined hands on top of the table. Gus’s eyebrows immediately flew into her hairline, but she smiled all the same. It took a second for Wynonna’s eyes to trail down but when they did, she stared at them for what felt to Nicole like hours. Wynonna began to nod slowly, a frown forming on her brow. 

“Please say something,” Waverly pleaded softly. 

“Well, I think it’s wonderful,” Gus announced. “I’ve always known you were a good egg, Nicole. Always there for my girls. I couldn’t imagine someone better suited for my Waverly.” She gave Nicole a smile so warm that she almost forgot about silent Wynonna sitting across from them. 

“But that’s Nicole,” Wynonna said suddenly with a laugh. “She’s our friend. My friend.” 

“Wynonna,” Gus warned, eyeing her niece. 

Nicole closed her eyes, wishing that she were somewhere else far away. 

“I know that, Wynonna,” Waverly said. “But this is what we want. I really, really like her.” 

Again, silence. Nicole peeked an eye open to see Wynonna’s gaze switch to hers. The breath caught in her throat as Wynonna stared at her. 

“You like my sister?” Her voice was almost a whisper. “My sister?” 

“Wynonna, I –”

“How long has this been going on for?” 

“In the last couple months or so.” 

She continued to nod. “And she makes you happy, does she Waves?” 

“Very much so.” 

Wynonna clicked her tongue, still staring at the two of them. “Well, then there’s nothing I can really do about it, can I?” She smiled. Nicole could see that it was a forced smile, but a smile nevertheless. 

Waverly sighed and laughed, placing her hand on Nicole’s thigh. Nicole tried to grin back but the look that Wynonna was shooting her while Waverly’s back was turned told her that this conversation was far from over.


End file.
